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November 27, 2009
UFC 105 Recap
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, November 14 – ‘The Outlaw’ was the hero Saturday night at the MEN Arena, as Nottingham’s Dan Hardy silenced some critics and also established himself as a legitimate challenger for the welterweight crown with a three round unanimous decision win over Mike Swick in the UFC 105 co-main event.
Scores were 30-27 twice, and 29-28 for Hardy, who improves to 23-6 with 1 NC as he earned a shot at UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre after four consecutive Octagon wins.
“It was a tough fight,” said Hardy. “Can’t take anything away from Mike, he always comes in and puts on a great fight.”
Swick (14-3) stalked Hardy at the bell, landing with a quick right before bulling his foe into the fence. The two traded positions along the fence, both looking to take the upper hand as they threw blows at close range. With two minutes gone, the bout was halted briefly after Hardy was hit with a low knee, but once the action resumed, the fighters took their places along the fence a second time. Again, it was a war of attrition as the two battled it out, and each fighter had his moments before the round drew to a close.
Early in the second, Hardy rocked Swick with a left hook to the head, and Swick staggered into the fence with Hardy right behind him. There. The two tied up and Swick was able to clear his head and begin firing back. Hardy wasn’t idle though, as he landed with close range elbows and foot stomps. With two minutes left, referee Kevin Mulhall re-started the stalled action and Swick was able to score with a flush left hook. Hardy took the punch well and kept moving forward, but he was starting to get countered more by the quicker Swick.
With the fight still close, Swick and Hardy began exchanging almost immediately at the start of the third, with Swick taking an early lead but Hardy roaring right back with another shot that rocked his foe. Hardy then followed up with a takedown and began firing off elbows as the crowd erupted and chanted his name. Swick stayed busy from the bottom, looking for the submission, but then Mulhall suddenly stood the two up and re-started the bout. As the bout entered its final 90 seconds, Hardy looked to be the fresher of the two fighters, and he even held his hand to his ear for more cheers, which the MEN fans gladly gave him. ‘The Outlaw’ didn’t forget to fight though, as he trudged forward, but Swick certainly didn’t back down either, and the crowd roared in appreciation at both fighters’ effort at the final bell.
Source: UFC
